The Latest Breaking News from FRANCE 24 Observers

If you've been brushing up on the FRANCE 24 Observers' verification guide, then you now have the know-how to verify images with a reverse image search or check for edits with some forensic tools. You should also have the basic instincts needed to be wary when scrolling through social media.…

Simple photography drones are being put to good use on the battlefield in Ukraine. Videos show soldiers using these drones – the same kind you can buy online for hobby use – to surveil Russian troops and find the best point of attack. Other drones have been refitted to hold…

The Islamic month of Ramadan is generally observed with a daily fast from sunrise to sunset as well as a nightly feast where communities come together to pray and break their fast. However, for the thousands of Muslims currently incarcerated in France, the holy month is more difficult. The FRANCE…

Several NGOs have accused Saudi Arabia of having arbitrarily arrested four Uighurs and of trying to extradite them to China, where their fate is extremely uncertain. The detainees include two men who had travelled to the country to make a pilgrimage to Mecca in November 2020, as well as a…

Large convoys of military equipment have been filmed in Russia and Belarus in recent days. Amateur videos analysed and verified by the FRANCE 24 Observers team show that some of these military reinforcements are heading for the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, towards the pro-Russian self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and…

The FRANCE 24 Observers team has launched an investigation into three Twitter accounts that claim to be run by journalists on the frontlines in Ukraine. The suspicious accounts were originally spotted by Conspirador Norteño, an account that specialises in studying misinformation on social media. But before that, they were thought…

Images published on April 3 showed the bodies of more than a dozen civilians who had been killed in Bucha, a town near Kyiv that had been occupied by the Russian army. Some of the bodies had their hands tied and some were shot in the head. Since then, several…

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, videos shared on social networks and in local media outlets have shown disturbing scenes: people tied to poles in the street, sometimes stripped of their clothing and beaten. These incidents have occurred all around the country, often as punishment for people accused…

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, the eastern city of Kharkiv has been the site of severe bombing. While the Russian Ministry of Defence has claimed since February 27 that it is only hitting strategic military targets, amateur images verified and analysed by the FRANCE 24…